You have probably heard the saying, “The kitchen is the heart of every home…”. This saying is also true for incorporating sustainable, environmentally conscious, and green living. You will probably find that there are more than 10 ways to incorporate sustainability into the kitchen. It can be overwhelming! At Abundance Organizing, we were recently challenged and inspired by Megan Spears as she shared with us ways to incorporate sustainability into our lives. She challenged all of us with a question during her workshop, and now we ask you the same question: “Where can you take action?”. Just start with a couple small steps in the kitchen and build upon them. We have a couple ideas for you. Here are 10 ways to incorporate sustainability into the kitchen:
(1) Practice purposeful and conscious grocery shopping.
You can do this by bringing a list with you when you shop and only buying what is on your list. This will help you to not make impulse purchases of items that you do not need.
(2) Buy less plastic…and more whole food.
Choose to purchase produce and groceries without the plastic. If you have the option to buy something in a carton or glass container, choose that over anything with plastic packaging. Have you ever looked into buying items in bulk? Buying items in bulk is another great way to buy less plastic and just buy the food. Find a place near you through Zero Waste Home Bulk Finder.
(3) Ditch all plastic bags.
Don’t use the plastic produce or grocery bags. Take your own reusable bags to buy groceries…or clothes…or anything!
(4) Do you meal plan?
Whether you decide to use an app or a planner/calendar, incorporate meal planning into your life and help eliminate food waste. Megan Spears shared this helpful meal planning resource in her workshop and stressed the importance and benefits of incorporating this sustainable system into the home. Check out the Zero Waste Chef as another great resource!
(5) Stop using plastic food storage containers and bags.
Work on eliminating using zip lock bags. You can say goodbye to this plastic by slowly investing in glass storage containers and reusable portable containers like ZipTops.
(6) Swap out paper towels for reusable paper towels.
Mindy uses Marley’s Monsters UNpaper Towels and loves them! She uses reusable paper towels in place of paper towels, napkins, and in some cases even dish towels. The laundry process is not too complicated and she streamlines it by storing a lingerie bag under the sink for the UNpaper towels as they get dirty. When the bag is full, she washes them all together in the lingerie bag. In addition, every third wash or so she soaks them in OxiClean to help with keeping them looking fresh. After they come out of the wash, she flattens them out, stacks them as they come out of the bag, and then rolls them around a standard cardboard paper towel tube. The roll goes on the usual paper towel holder that sits on her counter.
(7) No more plastic water bottles!
Instead, invest in a reusable water bottle like a Hydro Flask. There are a lot of great reusable water bottles out there, but the Hydro Flask definitely lasts forever and has a great warranty policy!
(8) Swap out toxic cleaning products for eco-friendly ones.
Here are 8 great eco-friendly and green cleaning alternatives that our team members love. Green cleaning products do not add to the air or water pollution and are made with natural, non-toxic, and biodegradable ingredients.
(9) Incorporate eco-friendly organizing products.
The right organizing product can make all the difference in the world. Seriously – all the difference in the world. Ten of our most favorite eco-friendly organizing products are sourced from bamboo, glass, and wood. You can minimize your carbon footprint by choosing an eco-friendly product or reusing what you already have.
(10) How can you incorporate sustainability into the waste management in your kitchen?
How are you disposing of your trash? Are you recycling correctly? Check out what your local waste management has to offer! Here is the link if you are in Central Virginia. Have you ever thought about starting to compost? Megan Spears shared this helpful resource for learning how to compost for beginners in her workshop. It really is amazing the difference it can make!
How are you taking action to incorporate sustainability into your kitchen? Share your thoughts and ideas in our Abundance Declutter Group on Facebook! Let’s inspire each other. Oh…and if you still haven’t done so yet, seriously check out Megan Spears, Disorder2Order, for more inspiration!